Keep the Flame Alive

Apr 10 2025 492 ep. 55 mins 77

Keep the Flame Alive Podcast artwork

Obsessed with the Olympics and Paralympics? Just curious about how Olympic and Paralympic sports work? You’ve found your people! Join your hosts, Olympic aunties Alison Brown and Jill Jaracz, for smart, fun, and down-to-earth interviews with athletes, coaches, and the unsung heroes behind the Games. Get the stories you don’t find anywhere else. Tune in weekly all year-round, and daily during the Olympics and Paralympics. We’re your cure for your Olympics Fever! Call us: (208) FLAME-IT.

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Sydney 2000: Set Sail with the Mascots

Apr 10 2025 41 mins

We sail back in time to Sydney 2000! Alison explores the origins of the official Olympic mascots, Syd, Millie, and Olly, and the Paralympic mascot Lizzie. But Sydney doesn't stop with the mascot fun--the hosts of the Sydney 2000 recap show The Dream brought us Fatso, who stole the athletes' and fans' hearts....and caused some controversy along the way. See one of Fatso's best mome

New IOC President Kirsty Coventry

Apr 03 2025 87 mins

Five-time Olympian Kirsty Coventry has been elected as the new president of the International Olympic Committee. She's the first woman and the first African to lead the organization. What's her story, and how will she shape the Olympics for years to come? We take a deep dive to find out. Plus, another chapter in the Milan-Cortina 2026 slidingnovela, updates (and concerns) for LA 20

2025 World Figure Skating Championships Recap

Apr 01 2025 59 mins

Alison went to the 2025 World Figure Skating Championships in Boston and has all of the behind-the-scenes details! Find out what you can't see on TV and how different the skater's performances were in person! Also check out our figure skating-themed Patreon episode this month! And get more scoop from Figure Skating Champs in our free Substack. For a transcript of this episode, pl

Book Club Claire on Paralympian Sydney Collier's Memoir "Beyond Expectations"s

Mar 20 2025 58 mins

Book Club Claire is back for our first selection of 2025, which is by a TKFLASTANI! We're reading Beyond Expectations: An Extraordinary Equestrian Journey from Deadly Diagnosis to the Paralympic Games by Sydney Collier with Heather Wallace. For Sydney, a routine eye exam turned into a diagnosis of a life-threatening rare disease. She's defied all expectations--particularly in terms

Sydney 2000: The Debacles of Women's Gymnastics

Mar 12 2025 26 mins

While the Sydney 2000 Olympics are generally considered to be one of the best Games of all time, yet they still had their fair share of issues, particularly in the gymnastics venue. In the latest installment of our year-long look back at Sydney 2000, Alison explores the numerous debacles during the gymnastics competitions, including a women's team competition that saw a podium chan

Alison Levine's Paris 2024 Paralympics

Mar 05 2025 40 mins

Sometimes all of the training and preparation in the world doesn't get you to the Paralympic podium. Boccia player Alison Levine experienced that firsthand during the Paris 2024 Paralympics, when tournament bracket design forced her to face the other top player early on in the elimination rounds. Play didn't go her way, and she didn't get the results she wanted. It didn't get bette

Kenny Bednarek's Paris Olympics

Feb 27 2025 46 mins

We catch up with sprinter Kenny Bednarek and learn about his Paris 2024 experience running the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay. He did bring home some hardware, but also had many learning experiences (and we're not just talking about dealing with the lack of A/C in Paris). We also look ahead to Kenny's 2025 season and how he's preparing for World Athletics' world championships. Be su

Para Powerlifter Bobby Body's Paris 2024 Paralympics

Feb 20 2025 61 mins

We catch up with our para powerlifter Bobby Body and talk with him about his experience at Paris 2024, including: What it was like to compete on the final day of the Games Dealing with no-lifts that resulted in a 4th place finish What it's like to get Team USA kit when you've got a powerlifter's body--did Bobby hulk out of his ceremonies uniforms? We also have news from past and

Sydney 2000: Glory and Disgrace on the Track

Feb 13 2025 32 mins

Runners Cathy Freeman and Marion Jones, two of the stars from the Sydney 2000 Olympics, could not have had more different outcomes to their experiences at these Games. In this look back at the Sydney 2000 Olympics, Alison has the amazing story of Cathy Freeman, who brought Olympic glory to Australia and the Aboriginal people. Meanwhile, Jill unravels the complicated story of Mario

Ken Hanscom's Travel Tips for the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics

Feb 06 2025 62 mins

It's one year to go until the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics! Tickets went on sale today, which means it's time to figure out travel plans--and because Milan-Cortina is really spread out across northern Italy, travel between venue clusters is going to be much more complicated. Not to worry though. Our Olympics travel expert Ken Hanscom is back to talk about traveling to Milan